Ganges River | river, Asia | Britannica.com Ganges River Allahabad Ganges River, Hindi Ganga, great river of the plains of the northern Indian subcontinent. Although officially as well as popularly called the Ganga in Hindi and in other Indian languages, internationally it is known by its conventional name, the Ganges. From time immemorial it has been the holy river of Hinduism . For most of its course it is a wide and sluggish stream, flowing through one of the most fertile and densely populated regions in the world. Despite its importance, its length of 1,560 miles (2,510 km) is relatively short compared with the other great rivers of Asia or of the world. The Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage network. Rising in the Himalayas and emptying into the Bay of Bengal , it drains one-fourth of the territory of India , and its basin supports hundreds of millions of people.

The greater part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain , across which it flows, is the heartland of the region known as Hindustan and has been the cradle of successive civilizations from the Mauryan empire of Ashoka in the 3rd century bce to the Mughal Empire , founded in the 16th century. Morning prayers along the Ganges River, Varanasi, India. Gavin Hellier—Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images For most of its course the Ganges flows through Indian territory, although its large delta in the Bengal area, which it shares with the Brahmaputra River , lies mostly in Bangladesh . The general direction of the river’s flow is from northwest to southeast. At its delta the flow is generally southward. Physical features Physiography The Ganges rises in the southern Great Himalayas on the Indian side of the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China . Its five headstreams—the Bhagirathi , the Alaknanda, the Mandakini, the Dhauliganga, and the Pindar—all rise in the mountainous region of northern Uttarakhand state.

Of those, the two main headstreams are the Alaknanda (the longer of the two), which rises about 30 miles (50 km) north of the Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi, and the Bhagirathi, which originates at about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) above sea level in a subglacial meltwater cave at the base of the Himalayan glacier known as Gangotri . Gangotri itself is a sacred place for Hindu pilgrimage . The true source of the Ganges, however, is considered to be at Gaumukh, about 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Gangotri. Gangotri, glacier in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand state, northern India, and one of the sources of … © afateev/Fotolia Eyjafjallajökull volcano The Ganges-Yamuna area was once densely forested. Historical writings indicate that in the 16th and 17th centuries wild elephants, buffalo, bison, rhinoceroses, lions, and tigers were hunted there.

Most of the original natural vegetation has disappeared from the Ganges basin, and the land is now intensely cultivated to meet the needs of an ever-growing population. Large wild animals are few, except for deer, boars, and wildcats and some wolves, jackals, and foxes. Only in the Sundarbans area of the delta are some Bengal tigers, crocodiles, and marsh deer still found. Ganges river dolphin, or susu (… Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Fish abound in all the rivers, especially in the delta area, where they form an important part of the inhabitants’ diet. In the Bengal area common fish include featherbacks (Notopteridae family), barbs (Cyprinidae), walking catfish , gouramis (Anabantidae), and milkfish (Chanidae). The Ganges river dolphin —or susu (Platanista gangetica), a nearly sightless cetacean with highly developed sonar capabilities—can be found throughout the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin, but it is considered endangered because of encroaching human activity.

Many varieties of birds are found, such as mynah birds, parrots, crows, kites, partridges, and fowls. In winter, ducks and snipes migrate south across the high Himalayas, settling in large numbers in water-covered areas. People Ethnically, the people of the Ganges basin are of mixed origin. In the west and centre of the basin they were originally descended from an early population—possibly speaking Dravidian or Austroasiatic languages—and were later joined by speakers of Indo-Aryan languages . In historical times Turks, Mongols, Afghans, Persians, and Arabs came from the west and intermingled with them. To the east and south, especially in Bengal, peoples speaking Austroasiatic, Indo-Aryan, and Tibeto-Burman languages have joined the population over the centuries. Europeans, arriving still later, did not settle or intermarry to any large extent. Hindu pilgrims bathing in the Ganges River at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, India. Frans Lemmens—The Image Bank/Getty Images Historically the Gangetic Plain has constituted the heartland of Hindustan and its successive civilizations.

The centre of the Mauryan empire of Ashoka was Patna (ancient Pataliputra), on the Ganges in Bihar. The centres of the great Mughal Empire were at Delhi and Agra , in the western Ganges basin. Kannauj on the Ganges, in central Uttar Pradesh north of Kanpur , was the capital of the feudal empire of Harsha , which covered most of northern India in the mid-7th century. During the Muslim era, which began in the 12th century, Muslim rule extended not only over the plain but over all Bengal as well. Dhaka and Murshidabad in the delta region were centres of Muslim power. The British, having founded Calcutta (Kolkata) on the banks of the Hugli River in the late 17th century, gradually expanded their dominion up the valley of the Ganges, reaching Delhi in the mid-19th century. A large number of cities have been built on the Gangetic Plain .

Among the most notable are Saharanpur , Meerut , Agra (the city of the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum), Mathura (esteemed as the birthplace of the Hindu god Krishna), Aligarh , Kanpur, Bareilly , Lucknow , Allahabad , Varanasi (Benares or Kashi; the holy city of the Hindus), Patna, Bhagalpur , Rajshahi , Murshidabad, Kolkata, Haora (Howrah), Dhaka, Khulna , and Barisal . In the delta Kolkata and its satellite towns stretch for about 50 miles (80 km) along both banks of the Hugli, forming one of India’s most-important concentrations of population, commerce, and industry. The religious importance of the Ganges may exceed that of any other river in the world. It has been revered from the earliest times and today is regarded as the holiest of rivers by Hindus. While places of Hindu pilgrimage, called tirtha s, are located throughout the subcontinent, those that are situated on the Ganges have particular significance.

Among those are the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna near Allahabad, where a bathing festival, or mela, is held in January and February; during the ceremony hundreds of thousands of pilgrims immerse themselves in the river. Other holy places for immersion are at Varanasi and at Haridwar. The Hugli River at Kolkata also is regarded as holy. Other places of pilgrimage on the Ganges include Gangotri and the junction of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi headstreams in the Himalayas. The Hindus cast the ashes of their dead into the river, believing that this gives the deceased direct passage to heaven , and cremation ghats (temples at the summit of riverside steps) for burning the dead have been built in many places on the banks of the Ganges. Ship laden with cremation ashes to be deposited in the Ganges River, Varanasi, India. © Charles A. Crowell/Black Star Economy Irrigation Use of the Ganges water for irrigation, either when the river is in flood or by means of gravity canals, has been common since ancient times. Such irrigation is described in scriptures and mythological books written more than 2,000 years ago.

Megasthenes , a Greek historian and ambassador who was in India, recorded the use of irrigation in the 4th century bce. Irrigation was highly developed during the period of Muslim rule from the 12th century onward, and the Mughal kings later constructed several canals. The canal system was further extended by the British. The cultivated area of the Ganges valley in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar benefits from a system of irrigation canals that has increased the production of such cash crops as sugarcane , cotton, and oilseeds. The older canals are mainly in the Ganges-Yamuna Doab (doab meaning “land between two rivers”). The Upper Ganga Canal, which begins at Hardiwar, and its branches have a combined length of 5,950 miles (9,575 km). The Lower Ganga Canal, extending 5,120 miles (8,240 km) with its branches, begins at Naraura. The Sarda Canal irrigates land near Ayodhya , in Uttar Pradesh. Higher lands at the northern edge of the plain are difficult to irrigate by canal, and groundwater must be pumped to the surface.

Large areas in Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar are also irrigated by channels running from hand-dug wells.The Ganges-Kabadak scheme in Bangladesh, largely an irrigation plan, covers parts of the districts of Khulna, Jessore, and Kushtia that lie within the part of the delta where silt and overgrowth choke the slowly flowing rivers. The system of irrigation is based on both gravity canals and electrically powered lifting devices. Navigation In ancient times the Ganges and some of its tributaries, especially in the east, were important transportation routes. According to Megasthenes, the Ganges and its main tributaries were being navigated in the 4th century bce. In the 14th century, inland-river navigation in the Ganges basin was still flourishing. By the 19th century, irrigation-cum-navigation canals formed the main arteries of the water-transport system. The advent of paddle steamers revolutionized inland transport, stimulating the growth of indigo production in Bihar and Bengal. Regular steamer services ran from Kolkata up the Ganges to Allahabad and far beyond, as well as to Agra on the Yamuna and up the Brahmaputra River.

Small sailing vessel on the Padma River (main stream of the Ganges [Ganga] River) near the ferry … joiseyshowaa The decline of large-scale water transport began with the construction of railways during the mid-19th century. The increasing withdrawal of water for irrigation also affected navigation. River traffic now is insignificant beyond the middle Ganges basin around Allahabad, mainly consisting of rural rivercraft (including motorboats, sailboats, and rafts). West Bengal and Bangladesh, however, continue to rely on the waterways to transport jute, tea, grain, and other agricultural and rural products. Principal river ports are Chalna, Khulna, Barisal, Chandpur, Narayanganj, Goalundo Ghat, Sirajganj, Bhairab Bazar, and Fenchuganj in Bangladesh and Kolkata, Goalpara, Dhuburi, and Dibrugarh in India. The partition of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947—with eastern Bengal becoming East Pakistan until in 1971 it declared its independence as Bangladesh—produced far-reaching changes, virtually halting the large trade in tea and jute formerly carried to Kolkata from Assam by inland waterway.

In Bangladesh inland water transport is the responsibility of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority. In India the Inland Waterways Authority of India formulates policy for and develops and maintains an extensive system of national waterways, while the publicly owned Central Inland Water Transport Corporation, Ltd., is responsible for transporting cargo in the waterway system and maintains the transport vessels as well as the facilities at several ports. Approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of waterways in the Ganges basin from Allahabad to Haldia are included in the system. The Farakka Barrage at the head of the delta, just inside Indian territory in West Bengal, began diverting Ganges waters south into India in 1976. The Indian government argued that hydrological changes had diverted Ganges water from the port of Kolkata over the preceding century and resulted in the deposition of silt and the intrusion of saline seawater. India constructed the dam to ameliorate the condition of Kolkata by flushing away the seawater and raising the water level. The Bangladeshi government maintained that the Farakka Barrage deprived southwestern Bangladesh of a needed source of water.

In 1996 both countries signed an agreement resolving the dispute by apportioning the waters of the Ganges between the two countries. Catastrophic floods in Bangladesh in 1987 and 1988—the latter being among the most severe in the country’s history—prompted the World Bank to prepare a long-term flood-control plan for the region. Famous Landforms in India | USA Today Famous Landforms in India The white peaks of the Himalayas define India's northern border. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images ) What Are the Specific Major Landforms of Indonesia? From the sands of the Thar Desert, where temperatures regularly soar to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, to the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas, India's geography is marked by intense contrast. While best known for the record-breaking peaks of its mountain range and its celebrated river, the Ganges, India is also home to a historically active volcano, just off its shores. Himalayas The Himalaya Mountains serve as the northern boundary of India; some of the mountains and many of the surrounding foothills are within the country. You can divide the Indian Himalayas into five different regions.

The region of Jammu and Kashmir has foothill plains and lakes as well as some higher peaks. The Himachal Pradesh region is generally snow-capped and forested with conifers; Dharamshala, home to the Dalai Lama, is within this region. The Uttaranchal region attracts many adventure sports enthusiasts. Sikkim is home to some of the tallest peaks; once an independent kingdom, it is now an Indian state, bounded by Nepal on the west and Bhutan to the east. The North Eastern states comprise a fifth region, which includes the "seven sisters" of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Ganges River The Ganges River runs 1,560 miles, beginning in the Himalayas and flowing into the Bay of Bengal. The river flows through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Upon merging with the Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers, it forms a river delta that is 200 miles across. Hindus attribute holy significance to the river's water, going to designated bathing places along the river's course, known as tirthas.

It is also a common tradition to cast the ashes of the deceased into the river. Thar Desert In western India, the Thar Desert is the seventh-largest desert in the world, covering about 92,200 square miles. With extremely severe temperatures, the Thar is one of the most inhospitable parts of the country. Winter temperatures are regularly around freezing, and summer temperatures can surge to more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Annual rainfall is condensed into a few months of monsoons in late summer. The Thar Desert spans the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab and extends into Pakistan to the west. Given the extreme climate, the Thar has plentiful fauna and flora, with around 141 known species of native birds. Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands form an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, just south of Burma. Altogether, the archipelago numbers about 300 islands, most of which comprise a territory of India. The islands are mountainous with dense rain forests. The islands also feature two volcanoes, the Narcondam and the Barren Island volcano. The Barren Island is the only historically active volcano in India.

References Ganges River Map, Map of Ganges River, Ganges Map, Ganga River Map International Calls Map of the holy river Ganges also know as Ganga in India. Ganga Map showing course and the Ganges Plain ie., the area drained by the river. This Map of Ganges River also shows the River Yamuna on the Map. This map of Ganga river also shows the major indian cities on the bank of river ganges. Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal, Ganga flow through Bangladesh. India River Map Ganga Map - Ganges River Map - Indian River Ganges Map River Ganges or Ganga is sacred for the people of India. Originating in the Himalayan Mountain, Ganga flows over 2500 Kilometers before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Given here is the Ganges Map. The Ganges River Map shows the course of flow of the River Ganges. This map of Ganges also shows the tributaries of the river. The river flows along the major cities of Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna etc... This is a printable Ganga Map free for download. Please link back to this website if you use it on your site.

Basic Information about the Ganges River of India Here are a few basic facts about the Ganga River. This information will help you understand the Ganges at a glance. Total Length of River Ganges 2,510 Kms (1,560 miles) Yamuna, Son, Kosi, Gandak, Gomati, Ghaghara, Bhagirathi etc... Cities on the bank of Ganges Kanpur, Soron, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Ghazipur, Bhagalpur, Mirzapur, Buxar, Saidpur etc... Ganges (Ganga) River - Ganga in India, Ganga in Hinduism The Ganges river has its source in the Himalayas, at Gaumakh in the southern Himalayas. The Ganga river has been declared as India's National River. A species of dolphins found in the Ganges river know as the Ganges Dolphin was recently declared as the National Aquatic Animal of India. The Ganges Plains or the Ganga River Basin is one of the most fertile land in the world. Related Articles Kumbha Sankranti The Ganga river also offers ample opportunity for Tourism Development.

River rafting in the Ganges is attracting lots of tourists. Ganga is a sacred river of the Hindus. Hinduism personifies the river as Goddess Ganga and worships the river.Indian Cities located on the bank of Ganges River like Haridwar, Allahabad and Varanasi are also considered sacred by Hindus. Travel Links WFHSChinaIndia - Ganges River WFHSChinaIndia This river that runs for 1,560 miles from the Himalayas all the way to the Bay of Bengal is more than just flowing water. This river is life, purity, and a goddess to the people of India The name of the Ganges is known all throughout the land of Indiaally cannon Mercedes Galt Ganges River This website includes cool, random facts about the Ganges. Also, it has an encyclopedia for the Ganges. The Ganges River is the most sacred river to the Hindu people. The Ganges Basin is the most populated river basin in the world. Shehid Radhe ~langlois/ecology/gangeshome.htm This website explains history,problems,and solutions in Ganges River.

The name of the Ganges is all known throughout the land of India.This river that runs for 1,560 miles from the Himalayas all the way to the Bay of Bengal is more than just flowing water. This river is life, purity and a goddess to the people of India. Grace Nagbe ~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/spring98/ganges.htm This website tells us where the river is it explains how this river influened life around it and what it does. The website also gives photos and facts about the river. Unfortunately, with all the life the Ganges brings, pollution is also brought. Some of the worst waterborn diseases are dysentery, hepatits, and cholera. Money is being raised by the government and other groups such as the Swatcha Ganga to clean the Ganges. ﻿Ganges River. By-Sydney Johnson. Ganges River - This website has maps and pictures of the Ganges River. You can see that the river is located in Northern india and can be found between the mouth of the Ganges and the border of China. The Ganges River is the most sacred river to the Hindu people.

It is also the most populated basin in the world holding 400 million people. - Rocky ~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/spring98/ganges.htm Mayra This website mentions a lot about Ganges. Its known throughout all India. This river runs for 1,560 miles from Himalayas to Bay of Bengal, this river is more than just running water it’s their goddess, purity, and life. Indian’s believe is that the Mother of Ganges also known as Ganga Ma poured herself down from heaven upon the ashes of King Sarga’s sons. The Ganges River - WorldAtlas.com Geography The Ganges River The Ganges stretches almost 1,600 miles from its Himalayan source waters before draining into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges River flowing through the city of Rishikesh in the Uttarakhand state in India. 5. Description The Ganges River flows through parts of the territories of the two countries of India and Bangladesh, and along the way covers a distance of 2,520 kilometers (1,560 miles). The Ganges Basin is much broader still, and includes numerous tributary rivers originating in Nepal, China, and Myanmar alike.

The Delta of the Ganges is also a rare phenomenon. There, the plot of land between two of the Ganges's arms, the Hooghly and Meghna, is called the Sundarban. This area is a complex web of streams, rivers, and bays along the Bay of Bengal, an area 265 kilometers long and 350 kilometers wide. Constantly changing landscapes are quite characteristic of the Ganges's exit into the Bengal Bay. There, pieces of land may rise up from the water and just as quickly disappear, sometimes creating silty and sandy islands in the process. Those that remain for extended periods of time (several months) are rapidly covered by dense vegetation in the beginning of season, only to be seen going back down under the water completely once again at the season's end. 4. Historical Role In addition to the unprecedented importance for the agricultural activities in the region, and serving as a source of drinking water for humans as well as water for all types of industrial production, the Ganges is a river of which the greatest number of legends have been written. In the Hindu religion, the Ganges is called the "Most Sacred River", and one which has a purely divine origin.

The Lord Shiva, who acts in the role of Transformer of the Universe in the Hindu sphere of beliefs, has stopped the flow of destructive energy bound to the earth. Once at the head of Shiva, cosmic energy is transformed and diverted into the Ganges River. Hydrologically, the source of the river is located on the southern slopes of the Himalayan glacier Gangotri, and from there it flows through the most densely populated area of the Eurasian continent (India and Bangladesh), where, according to various estimates, live somewhere between 400 and 500 million people. 3. Modern Significance Indian environmentalists point out that the Ganges, despite of the abundance of biochemical pollution, has the ability to restore itself to its pre-industrial state. However, Western experts' studies often call the Ganges one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Around half a billion people are today inhabiting the banks of the Ganges, largely depending upon its water quality to sustain their needs, and seeing there lives regularly affected by seasonal floods. The Ganges becomes dirty because of the drains discharging into the river, which are filled with all kinds of population from both households and industrial enterprises.

Major cities along the river are continuing to rise in number, and these have a strong impact on the environment. The shortage of garbage processing enterprises in the region also leads to the cluttering of the Ganges's shores with litter, resulting in havoc as flooding often carries tons of human waste right into the Ganges. The water probes taken in recent years show that the concentration of biological waste in the river's waters are 100 times higher than permissible norms. The ritual cremations in the Ghats, special religious ritual places, are taking place very close to the coastline. After burning of corpses, the remains are dumped into the river. However, the poor, who can not afford cremation costs but come to die in the holy city of Varanasi on the Ganges's banks, as well as dead unmarried girls, pregnant women, and children, according to the tradition from times immemorial, do not qualify for burning. Instead, their corpses are immediately thrown intact into the river. The river and its human inhabitants are then forced to deal with these remains in the waters. 2. Habitat and Biodiversity The Ganges provides shelter to more than 140 kinds of different fish and 90 species of amphibians.

Among the most endangered river dwellers are the Ganges river sharks, as well as native dolphin species. Birds that live in the river basin are also unique, and and many cannot be found in any other parts of the world. This area is the home to rare species of mammals as well, including brown bears, foxes, snow leopards and other large cats, several species of deer, porcupines, and others. There is also a large variety of butterflies and other rare insects seen along the Ganges's banks. 1. Environmental Threats and Territorial Disputes The construction of a dam and hydroelectric power station near Farraka, close to the border with Bangladesh, led to the removal of water from the arm of the Ganges known as the Bhagirathi, a river which further flows in West Bengal near Calcutta. This dam has long been a source of disputes between India and Bangladesh, which had been settled on the basis of discussions held in 1996. A lack of perpetual flow during the summer months used to result in droughts in Bangladesh, and made the country more vulnerable to flooding in other times of the year.

Nevertheless, the project of connecting channel of the Brahmaputra to the Ganges in order to improve the flow of water has not yet been implemented, though doing so could potential mitigate these destructive effects. This page was last modified on June 6, 2016. On WorldAtlas.com India: Ganges River - World Geography Wiki World Geography Wiki Wiki Projects ‎ > ‎ Top Sites of South Asia ‎ > ‎ India: Ganges River The Ganges River is 1,560 miles long. It flows southeast through north east India across a vast plain into the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. It is the most sacred river in India. The plain is the worlds most densely populated regions. The river is highly polluted because it is located near major population centers. The lower Ganges river joined by the Brahmaputra river of Dhaka, Bangladesh to form a Padma the river's main channel to the sea. The rivers unite to form the vast and fertile Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta. The delta region covers roughly 25% of India's territory and supports 300 million people. The delta's southern fringe is known as the Sundarbuns. This low-lying area has been suffering great devastation from cyclones and coastal flooding.

Many people enjoy bathing in the river even though it is very polluted and can and probably will give you an infection. The Ganges River 22LGanges2 - The Ganges The Ganges ► Flows from the Indian­Tibetan border 22LGanges2 22LGanges2 - The Ganges The Ganges ► Flows from the... SCHOOL View Full Document This is the end of the preview. Sign up to access the rest of the document. Unformatted text preview: The Ganges The Ganges ► Flows from the Indian­Tibetan border ~1560 miles to the Bay of Bengal. ► It is of critical importance to India and Bangladesh. ► The Indus has its headwaters near those of the Ganges and is critical to Pakistan. ► The Brahmaputra has its origin nearby and follows a strange course through Tibet and NE India, but eventually joins the Ganges. The Ganges The Ganges ► Below their confluence the Ganges and the Brahmaputra are called the Padma. ► Dacca, the capital of Bangladesh is on a tributary of the Brahmaputra.

Ganges Delta Ganges Delta ► The Ganges/Brahmaputra Delta is ~60K km2 or 23K square miles. It stretches >200 miles inland and is the largest delta in the world. ► Much of the delta shoreline is a tidal forest called the Sunderbans which runs ~275 km along the Bay of Bengal. ► Delta floods from June to October from monsoon rains, and snowmelt April to June. Ganges Delta Ganges Delta ► Strong cyclonic storms (called typhoons = hurricanes) plague the region. In 1970 one storm killed 200K – 500K people. ► Silt from the delta muddies the Bay of Bengal some 500 km out to sea. ► Ganges carries ~27 tons per ha p.a. of sediment, compared to 13 tons for the Amazon and 8 tons for the Nile. Ganges Delta ‘Chars’ Ganges Delta ‘Chars’ ► Chars are sandbars that represent the leading edge of the delta as it advances into the Bay of Bengal. ► Nutrient poor and barely above sea level they are occupied by landless peasants who attempt to farm them.

Imagine what happens when a typhoon arrives – 10 000s of people can disappear at a time. The Ganges Drainage Basin The Ganges Drainage Basin ► The basin covers 400K square miles (1 mill km2). It contains about 400 million people, ~500 million including the delta. This is >5% of humanity. ► The basin is projected to have a population of 750 million by 2020 and 1 billion by 2030. The Ganges ­ Cities The Ganges ­ Cities ► The Ganges flows through 29 cities with populations > 100K, 23 cities with populations 50 ­ 100K, and ~48 towns. ► The Yamuna River is a tributary of the Ganges that passes through New Delhi. 80% of New Delhi’s pollution is raw sewage. 1.9mill liters (502 mill gals) of raw sewage enter the Yamuna each day. Pollution ­ Sewage Pollution ­ Sewage ► 80% of the pollution in the Ganges is untreated sewage ­ >1 billion liters per day.

► Only 7% of India’s cities have sewage treatment. ► Waterborne diseases account for 80% of health problems and 1/3 of all deaths. The Ganges is a major source of regional diseases. Pollution ­ Sickness Pollution ­ Sickness ► One person in the region dies every minute from diarrhea and 80% of the population of Calcutta suffers from amoebic dysentery every year. ► Roughly 40 million work days p.a. are lost to Ganges pollution­induced illnesses. Pollution ­ Industrial Pollution ­ Industrial ► 15% of the pollution is industrial, ~260 million liters a day. ► Kanpur, a city of >2 million, is a huge tanning center with >80 factories. ► All residual material (fat, blood, hair, etc.) is dumped into the river, plus a huge array of chemicals in tanning. Chromium salts are among the most dangerous and have been recorded at >100x the legal limit. Pollution ­ Industrial Pollution ­ Industrial ► Industrial discharge into the Ganges is growing 8% p.a.

► By 2020 2.5 billion liters per day of industrial waste will be discharged per day. ► In 2010 the Indiancourts ordered 100 of Kanpur’s tanneries closed (lots of luck!). They have been required to undertake basic treatment since 1994, but haven’t. Pollution ­ Industrial Pollution ­ Industrial ► At Barauni a 2 km stretch of river caught fire in the 1980s and burnt for 16 hours. This was due to oil refinery pollution which also includes known carcinogens that are accumulating in river sediments. Pollution ­ Industrial Pollution ­ Industrial ► Calcutta supplies ~30% of the Ganges industrial pollution, >50% from paper and pulp industries. EPA standards for suspended solids are 100 ppm. The Hooghly river is >6 000 ppm. Problems ­ Dams Problems ­ Dams ► There are two dams on the delta. They are leading to siltation and also to saltwater intrusion. ► One of the dams has a big impact on local fisheries. The fish are toxic anyway, but this doesn’t matter in India.

Pollution ­ Agricultural Pollution ­ Agricultural ► The Ganges Plain is a vast agricultural area with only 14% of its original forest remaining. ► Organochlorines (DDT) and PCBs are widely used. ► The region uses 35% of India’s fertilizer, including nitrates and phosphates. ► Algal blooms, low oxygen availability, etc. Pollution ­ Agricultural Pollution ­ Agricultural ► At Patna, a major agricultural production city, in the last 10 years river concentrations have increased as follows: ► Phosphorous x15 ► Nitrogen x2 ► Sulfate x3.5 ► Silicate x2.5 Pollution ­ Religion Pollution ­ Religion ► Varanasi is India’s holiest city. ► It has burning ‘ghats’. But most people cannot afford the fuel for a total cremation, therefore, partially cremated bodies float down river. Hundreds of cremations daily. ► At least 60 000 people a day bathe in the sacred waters daily at Varanasi and >10 million bathe in the Ganges daily. Pollution ­ Religion Pollution ­ Religion ► It is also important to drink the sacred waters.

► There are a large numbers of dead cows floating down river. ► At one time there was a plan to introduce flesh eating turtles to help improve the situation. Pollution – Water Quality Pollution – Water Quality ► ► ► ► The World Health Organization stipulates a maximum coliform count of <10 per 100 milliliters of water for drinking water. Indian govn. limit for rivers is 100, but in 2010 the level in one place on the Ganges never dropped below 5500. At Varanasi the count is 100 000. Upstream and downstream of Varanasi it varies between 4 500 and 120 000. In one experiment introduced fish lasted 48 hours in another they lasted 5 hours. The Sunderbans The Sunderbans ► Pollution is destroying the delta’s ecology. The mangrove forests (The Sunderbans) are a natural filtration system and also a buffer against monsoon rains and typhoons. ► The Sunderbans are being destroyed by development, including shrimp ponds. ► The Sunderbans are the greatest reserve for the Bengal tiger (story!).

The Ganga Action Plan The Ganga Action Plan ► Heavily funded (by USA) plan to clean up the Ganges. But the usual corruption stories and <39% of the sewage treatment goal achieved, during which period the pollution input doubled! ► 2009 World Bank loaned India $1 billion for Ganges clean­up. ► Indian government hopes to end raw sewage discharge into Ganges by 2020(unlikely). ... University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign GEOG 210 - Spring 2012 TheNile&theHighAswanDam TheNile&theHighAswanDam In~1847Egypthad~5millionpeopleand~ 5 23LNile National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC School You Gotta Know These Asian Rivers Asia is home to seven of the world's twelve longest rivers, but its waterways are also of high cultural, spiritual, and economic importance. Here are the ten Asian rivers that every quiz bowl team should be familiar with. The Yangtze (or Chang Jiang or Ch'ang Chiang) is the longest river in China and Asia and the third longest in the world.

It rises in the Kunlun Mountains, flows across the Tibetan Plateau, passes the cities of Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai, and empties into the South China Sea. Its basin is China's granary and is home to nearly one in every three Chinese citizens. The river has been in the news for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest, which will reduce flooding but displace 1.5 million people and bury more than 1,300 known archaeological sites. The Brahmaputra (or Tsangpo or Jamuna) runs 1,800 miles from its source in the Tibetan Himalayas; it starts eastward across the plateau, then turns south into the Indian state of Assam, and then enters Bangladesh where it merges with the Ganges to form the world's largest delta. While serving as a historical route to Tibet, the river is also prone to disastrous flooding. The Yellow River (or Huang He or Huang Ho) is, at 3,400 miles, China's second-longest; it is also the most important to the northern half of the country. It rises in Qinghai province and flows into the Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea.

The river's name comes from the extraordinary amount of loess silt that it carries, an average of 57 pounds for every cubic yard of water. Among its notable features is the Grand Canal, built during the Ming Dynasty, that links it to the Yangtze. The Ganges (or Ganga) is the holiest river of Hinduism. It rises in the Himalayas and flows a comparatively short 1,560 miles to the world's largest delta on the Bay of Bengal. Among that delta's distributaries are the Hooghly (on whose banks Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) may be found) and the Padma (which enters Bangladesh). Approximately one in every twelve human beings lives in the Ganges Basin, a population density that is rapidly polluting the river; a significant source of that pollution is cremated remains. The Mekong is the chief river of Southeast Asia. It originates in eastern Tibet, forms much of the Laos-Thailand border, flows south through Cambodia, and enters the South China Sea in southern Vietnam just south of Ho Chi Minh City. The capital cities of Vientiane and Phnom Penh are on the Mekong.

The building of dams and clearing of rapids are a source of diplomatic conflict between China, Laos, and Cambodia. The Tigris is the eastern of the two rivers that define the historic region of Mesopotamia (meaning, "The Land Between Two Rivers") that was home to the ancient civilizations of Sumer and Akkad. It rises in Turkey, then flows southeast by Mosul, Tikrit, and Baghdad before joining the Euphrates to make the Shatt-al-Arab, which subsequently empties into the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates defines the western border of Mesopotamia; it also rises in the Zagros Mountains of Turkey and its shores are home to Fallujah and Babylon. It is the longer of the two rivers with a course of 1,740 miles (compared to the Tigris' 1,180). Both the Tigris and the Euphrates have changed courses several times leaving ruins in the desert where cities have been abandoned. The Irrawaddy (or Ayeyarwaddy) is the chief river of Myanmar (also known as Burma).

It flows 1,350 miles past Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and Mandalay to the Gulf of Martaban, an arm of the Bay of Bengal. Its delta is one of the world's most important rice-growing regions, and its name is thought to come from the Sanskrit word for "elephant." The Indus is the chief river of Pakistan as well as being the ultimate source of the name of India. It rises in Tibet and flows 1,800 miles to a delta on the Arabian Sea southeast of Karachi. The five major tributaries of the Indus, the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej Rivers, are the source of the name of the Punjab region, which is Persian for "Land of the Five Rivers". The Indus is the cradle of the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the world's earliest urban areas, whose main cities were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. The Jordan River rises in Syria from springs near Mount Hermon. It flows south to Lake Merom, through the Sea of Galilee, and into the Dead Sea, which lies 1,300 feet below sea level.

The river forms the nation of Jordan's boundary with the West Bank and northern Israel. In the New Testament, the river was the site of the baptism of John the Baptist. In modern times, about 80% of its water is diverted for human use, a figure that has led to the shrinking of the Dead Sea and serious contention among bordering nations. This article was contributed by NAQT writer Raj Dhuwalia. India - The Deccan | history - geography | Britannica.com The Deccan Sir Samuel Hoare, 2nd Baronet The remainder of India is designated, not altogether accurately, as either the Deccan plateau or peninsular India. It is actually a topographically variegated region that extends well beyond the peninsula—that portion of the country lying between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal—and includes a substantial area to the north of the Vindhya Range , which has popularly been regarded as the divide between Hindustan (northern India) and the Deccan (from Sanskrit dakshina, “south”). Tea plantation in the foothills of the Western Ghats, Deccan region, Kerala, India.

© michel Hasson/Fotolia Having once constituted a segment of the ancient continent of Gondwana, that land is the oldest and most geologically stable in India. The plateau is mainly between 1,000 and 2,500 feet (300 to 750 metres) above sea level, and its general slope descends toward the east. A number of the hill ranges of the Deccan have been eroded and rejuvenated several times, and only their remaining summits testify to their geologic past. The main peninsular block is composed of gneiss, granite-gneiss, schists, and granites, as well as of more geologically recent basaltic lava flows. The Western Ghats The Western Ghats , also called the Sahyadri, are a north-south chain of mountains or hills that mark the western edge of the Deccan plateau region. They rise abruptly from the coastal plain of the Arabian Sea as an escarpment of variable height, but their eastern slopes are much more gentle. The Western Ghats contain a series of residual plateaus and peaks separated by saddles and passes.

The hill station (resort) of Mahabaleshwar , located on a laterite plateau, is one of the highest elevations in the northern half, rising to 4,700 feet (1,430 metres). The chain attains greater heights in the south, where the mountains terminate in several uplifted blocks bordered by steep slopes on all sides. Those include the Nilgiri Hills , with their highest peak, Doda Betta (8,652 feet [2,637 metres]); and the Anaimalai , Palni , and Cardamom hills, all three of which radiate from the highest peak in the Western Ghats, Anai Peak (Anai Mudi, 8,842 feet [2,695 metres]). The Western Ghats receive heavy rainfall, and several major rivers—most notably the Krishna (Kistna) and the two holy rivers, the Godavari and the Kaveri ( Cauvery )—have their headwaters there. Village in the Anaimalai Hills, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu state, India.

Gerald Cubitt The Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a series of discontinuous low ranges running generally northeast-southwest parallel to the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The largest single sector—the remnant of an ancient mountain range that eroded and subsequently rejuvenated—is found in the Dandakaranya region between the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers. That narrow range has a central ridge, the highest peak of which is Arma Konda (5,512 feet [1,680 metres]) in northeastern Andhra Pradesh state. The hills become subdued farther southwest, where they are traversed by the Godavari River through a gorge 40 miles (65 km) long. Still farther southwest, beyond the Krishna River , the Eastern Ghats appear as a series of low ranges and hills, including the Erramala , Nallamala , Velikonda , and Palkonda . Southwest of the city of Chennai (Madras), the Eastern Ghats continue as the Javadi and Shevaroy hills, beyond which they merge with the Western Ghats. Inland regions Convention of Wadgaon The predominantly deltaic eastern coastal plain is an area of deep sedimentation.

Over most of its length it is considerably wider than the plain on the western coast. The major deltas , from south to north, are of the Kaveri, the Krishna-Godavari, the Mahanadi, and the Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers. The last of those is some 190 miles (300 km) wide, but only about one-third of it lies within India. Traversed by innumerable distributaries, the Ganges delta is an ill-drained region, and the western part within Indian territory has become moribund because of shifts in the channels of the Ganges. Tidal incursions extend far inland, and any small temporary rise in sea level could submerge Kolkata (Calcutta), located about 95 miles (155 km) from the head of the Bay of Bengal. The eastern coastal plain includes several lagoons, the largest of which, Pulicat and Chilka (Chilika) lakes, have resulted from sediment being deposited along the shoreline. Islands Several archipelagoes in the Indian Ocean are politically a part of India.

The union territory of Lakshadweep is a group of small coral atolls in the Arabian Sea to the west of the Malabar Coast. Far off the eastern coast, separating the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, lie the considerably larger and hillier chains of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands , also a union territory; the Andamans are closer to Myanmar and the Nicobars closer to Indonesia than to the Indian mainland. Beach resort on Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. © Lukas Hlavac/Fotolia Drainage More than 70 percent of India’s territory drains into the Bay of Bengal via the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system and a number of large and small peninsular rivers. Areas draining into the Arabian Sea, accounting for about 20 percent of the total, lie partially within the Indus drainage basin (in northwestern India) and partially within a completely separate set of drainage basins well to the south (in Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, northern Maharashtra, and areas west of the Western Ghats).

Most of the remaining area, less than 10 percent of the total, lies in regions of interior drainage, notably in the Great Indian Desert of Rajasthan state (another is in the Aksai Chin , a barren plateau in a portion of Kashmir administered by China but claimed by India). Finally, less than 1 percent of India’s area, along the border with Myanmar, drains into the Andaman Sea via tributaries of the Irrawaddy River . Drainage into the Bay of Bengal The Ganges-Brahmaputra river system The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, together with their tributaries, drain about one-third of India. The Ganges (Ganga), considered sacred by the country’s Hindu population, is 1,560 miles (2,510 km) long. Although its deltaic portion lies mostly in Bangladesh, the course of the Ganges within India is longer than that of any of the country’s other rivers. It has numerous headstreams that are fed by runoff and meltwater from Himalayan glaciers and mountain peaks.

The main headwater, the Bhagirathi River , rises at an elevation of about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) at the foot of the Gangotri Glacier, considered sacred by Hindus. The Ganges enters the Indo-Gangetic Plain at the city of Haridwar (Hardwar). From Haridwar to Kolkata it is joined by numerous tributaries. Proceeding from west to east, the Ghaghara , Gandak , and Kosi rivers, all of which emerge from the Himalayas, join the Ganges from the north, while the Yamuna and Son are the two most important tributaries from the south. The Yamuna, which also has a Himalayan source (the Yamunotri glacier) and flows roughly parallel to the Ganges throughout its length, receives the flow of several important rivers, including the Chambal , Betwa , and Ken, which originate in India’s peninsular foreland. Of the northern tributaries of the Ganges, the Kosi , India’s most-destructive river (referred to as the “Sorrow of Bihar”), warrants special mention.

Because of its large catchment in the Himalayas of Nepal and its gentle gradient once it reaches the plain, the Kosi is unable to discharge the large volume of water it carries at its peak flows, and it frequently floods and changes its course. Manikarnika Ghat, a Hindu cremation site along the Ganges River in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Dennis Jarvis (CC-BY-2.0) (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Bathing ghat on the Yamuna River at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. Globe The seasonal flows of the Ganges and other rivers fed by meltwaters from the Himalayas vary considerably less than those of the exclusively rain-fed peninsular rivers. That consistency of flow enhances their suitability for irrigation and—where the diversion of water for irrigation is not excessive—for navigation as well. Although the total length of the Brahmaputra (about 1,800 miles [2,900 km]) exceeds that of the Ganges, only 450 miles (725 km) of its course lies within India.

The Brahmaputra, like the Indus, has its source in a trans-Himalayan area about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Mapam Lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The river runs east across Tibet for more than half its total length before cutting into India at the northern border of Arunachal Pradesh state. It then flows south and west through the state of Assam and south into Bangladesh, where it empties into the vast Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. The narrow Brahmaputra basin in Assam is prone to flooding because of its large catchment areas, parts of which experience exceedingly heavy precipitation. Peninsular rivers The peninsular drainage into the Bay of Bengal includes a number of major rivers, most notably the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna , and Kaveri. Except for the Mahanadi, the headwaters of those rivers are in the high-rainfall zones of the Western Ghats, and they traverse the entire width of the plateau (generally from northwest to southeast) before reaching the Bay of Bengal. The Mahanadi has its source at the southern edge of the Chhattisgarh Plain.

Krishna River at Wai, Maharashtra state, India. David Channer-Nancy Palmer Agency India’s peninsular rivers have relatively steep gradients and thus rarely give rise to floods of the type that occur in the plains of northern India, despite considerable variations in flow from the dry to wet seasons. The lower courses of a number of those rivers are marked by rapids and gorges, usually as they cross the Eastern Ghats. Because of their steep gradients, rocky underlying terrain, and variable flow regimes, the peninsular rivers are not navigable. Drainage into the Arabian Sea A substantial part of northwestern India is included in the Indus drainage basin, which India shares with China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Indus and its longest tributary, the Sutlej , both rise in the trans-Himalayan region of Tibet. The Indus initially flows to the northwest between towering mountain ranges and through Jammu and Kashmir state before entering the Pakistani-administered portion of Kashmir. It then travels generally to the southwest through Pakistan until it reaches the Arabian Sea. The Sutlej also flows northwest from its source but enters India farther south, at the border of Himachal Pradesh state.

From there it travels west into the Indian state of Punjab and eventually enters Pakistan, where it flows into the Indus. The Indus River in the mountains of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir state, India. © Pierre-Jean DURIEU Between the Indus and the Sutlej lie several other major Indus tributaries. The Jhelum , the northernmost of those rivers, flows out of the Pir Panjal Range into the Vale of Kashmir and thence via Baramula Gorge into Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The three others—the Chenab , Ravi , and Beas —originate in the Himalayas within Himachal Pradesh. The Chenab travels across Jammu and Kashmir state before flowing into Pakistan; the Ravi forms a part of the southern boundary between Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh states and thereafter a short stretch of the India-Pakistan border prior to entering Pakistan; and the Beas flows entirely within India, joining the Sutlej in the Indian state of Punjab . The area through which the five Indus tributaries flow has traditionally been called the Punjab (from Persian panj, “five,” and āb, “water”).

That area currently falls in the Indian state of Punjab (containing the Sutlej and the Beas) and the Pakistani province of Punjab. Despite low rainfall in the Punjab plains, the moderately high runoff from the Himalayas ensures a year-round flow in the Indus and its tributaries, which are extensively utilized for canal irrigation. The Jhelum River at Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir state, India. Richard Abeles—Artstreet Farther to the south, another notable river flowing into the Arabian Sea is the Luni of southern Rajasthan, which in most years has carried enough water to reach the Great Rann of Kachchh in western Gujarat. Also flowing through Gujarat is the Mahi River , as well as the two most important west-flowing rivers of peninsular India—the Narmada (drainage basin 38,200 square miles [98,900 square km]) and Tapi (Tapti; 25,000 square miles [65,000 square km]). The Narmada and its basin have undergone large-scale multipurpose development.

Most of the other peninsular rivers draining into the Arabian Sea have short courses, and those that flow westward from headwaters in the Western Ghats have seasonally torrential flows. Lakes and inland drainage For such a large country, India has few natural lakes. Most of the lakes in the Himalayas were formed when glaciers either dug out a basin or dammed an area with earth and rocks. Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, by contrast, is the result of a tectonic depression. Although its area fluctuates, Wular Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in India. Resort house on Wular Lake in the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir state, India. D. Chawda—Keystone/FPG Inland drainage in India is mainly ephemeral and almost entirely in the arid and semiarid part of northwestern India, particularly in the Great Indian Desert of Rajasthan, where there are several ephemeral salt lakes —most prominently Sambhar Salt Lake , the largest lake in India. Those lakes are fed by short intermittent streams, which experience flash floods during occasional intense rains and become dry and lose their identity once the rains are over.

The water in the lakes also evaporates and subsequently leaves a layer of white saline soils, from which a considerable amount of salt is commercially produced. Many of India’s largest lakes are reservoirs formed by damming rivers. Soils There is a wide range of soil types in India. As products of natural environmental processes, they can be broadly divided into two groups: in situ soils and transported soils. The in situ soils get their distinguishing features from the parent rocks, which are sieved by flowing water, sliding glaciers, and drifting wind and are deposited on landforms such as river valleys and coastal plains. The process of sieving such soils has led to deposition of materials in layers without any marked pedologic horizons, though it has altered the original chemical composition of the in situ soils. Among the in situ soils are the red-to-yellow (including laterite) and black soils known locally as regur . After those the alluvial soil is the third most-common type. Also significant are the desert soils of Rajasthan, the saline soils in Gujarat, southern Rajasthan, and some coastal areas, and the mountain soils of the Himalayas.

The type of soil is determined by numerous factors, including climate, relief, elevation, and drainage, as well as by the composition of the underlying rock material. In situ soils Red-to-yellow soils Those soils are encountered over extensive nonalluvial tracts of peninsular India and are made up of such acidic rocks as granite, gneiss, and schist. They develop in areas in which rainfall leaches soluble minerals out of the ground and results in a loss of chemically basic constituents; a corresponding proportional increase in oxidized iron imparts a reddish hue to many such soils. Hence, they are commonly described as ferralitic soils. In extreme cases, the concentration of oxides of iron leads to formation of a hard crust, in which case they are described as lateritic (for later, the Latin term meaning “brick”) soils. The heavily leached red-to-yellow soils are concentrated in the high-rainfall areas of the Western Ghats, the western Kathiawar Peninsula, eastern Rajasthan, the Eastern Ghats, the Chota Nagpur plateau region, and other upland tracts of northeastern India.

Less-leached red-to-yellow soils occur in areas of low rainfall immediately east of the Western Ghats in the dry interior of the Deccan. Red-to-yellow soils are usually infertile, but that problem is partly ameliorated in forested tracts, where humus concentration and the recycling of nutrients help restore fertility in the topsoil. India - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) About one-sixth of all the human beings on Earth live in India, the world’s most populous democracy. It is the second most populous country in the world, after China. India’s borders encompass a vast variety of peoples, practicing most of the world’s major religions and speaking scores of different languages. A civilized, urban society has existed in India for well over 4,000 years, and there have been periods when its culture has been as brilliant and creative as any in history. The country is also known by its ancient Hindi name, Bharat. Area 1,222,550 square miles (3,166,391 square kilometers). Population (2016 est.) 1,320,844,000.

Article Contributors Ganges Restaurant | Ganges Indian Restaurant & Takeaway Location Ganges Restaurant “Indian Curry Cottage” was opened back in 1972, when our father Mohammad Ali opened the doors with his family, at the heart of Sale. It was originally known as “The Ganges Restaurant”. A new & improved version of the original Ganges Restaurant is back with a sign of contemporary Indian & Bangladeshi food. The name ‘Ganges’ is known all throughout the land of India and the world. The river Ganges runs for 1,560 miles from the Himalayas all the way to the Bay of Bengal and is more than just owing water. The Ganges in Sale is all about the reputation the family has built over the years as the original pioneers of authentic Asian cuisine in the not – almost 40 years of dining experience. Our main focus is providing original Indian & Bangladeshi dishes using our signature recipes & fresh ingredients. We would like to thank all our customers for their endless support. This renovation is our way of saying thank you so we would like to invite you all & welcome you to dine with us, enjoy our food and relaxing surroundings. Please book your table to avoid disappointment.

Question: Which river runs 1,560 miles to the Bay of Bengal?
Answer: Ganges